Convertible suitcase to be transformed into a seating or lying piece of furniture

ABSTRACT

The suitcase (10) comprises two suitcase shells (12,14) which are hingedly connected to each other and adapted to be locked in folded condition. The suitcase (10) houses a head portion (16) and a foot portion (18) which are pivotably connected by double-joint hinges (22 and 24, respectively) to a narrow sidewall of the lower suitcase shell (12) such that they can be unfolded into a position for use when the suitcase is open. The two suitcase shells (12,14) can be folded together and locked even in this position for use. When the suitcase (10) is closed, the upper outside surface of the upper suitcase shell (14) presents a surface (20) to sit or lie on. The unfolded head and/or foot portion (16,18) is prevented from being swung back up to close to the lying surface (20) by an abutment surface (26,28) formed at the upper suitcase shell (14). The suitcase (10) thus transformed into a seating or lying piece of furniture, therefore, cannot be changed back by an unauthorized person into anything similar to a normal suitcase and consequently cannot be carried off inconspicuously.

The invention relates to a convertible suitcase to be transformed into aseating or lying piece of furniture, comprising two hingedly connectedsuitcase shells which can be locked in folded condition and at least onehead or foot portion housed in the suitcase and pivotably connected toone of the suitcase shells so that it can be unfolded when the suitcaseis open.

A known suitcase of this kind (DE-B 1 957 062) which can be convertedinto a bed for children has its two suitcase shells, which, in unfoldedstate, form a flat lying surface presented by the inner surfaces oftheir bottoms, the lying surface being limited at its narrow sides by ahead or foot portion, respectively, swung vertically upwardly. Handlesare pivotably connected to the outside of both suitcase shells. When thesuitcase is closed, they serve as carrying handles, and when the bed isunfolded, they serve as support handles being connected by crank arms tothe head or foot portion, respectively, such that each handle can bepivoted only together with the associated head or foot portion.Furthermore, side portions are pivotably connected to the head portion,extending across half the length of the bed and adapted to be connectedto a corresponding side portion pivoted at the foot portion, whereby anyunintentional collapse of the bed is prevented. In folded condition, thetwo suitcase shells can be locked together by a closure. Yet when thebed is erected, unauthorized folding cannot be prevented. Only in foldedcondition may the suitcase be used as a container for storing things.

For some time already, a demand has been known for a suitcaseconvertible into a lying piece of furniture to be useful as a lockablecontainer for keeping things even when in use as a lying piece offurniture. A known suitcase meeting this demand (DE-A-141 740) has twosuitcase shells which can be totally separated in unfolded condition andare each closed by a lid provided with a lock. An end portion each of afabric web is attached to the two lids, and the fabric web can beextended between the two separated suitcase shells and kept tight bybraces adapted to be fixed to the two suitcase shells and slid intoseams along the edges of the fabric web. Again, safety measures againstany unintended folding of the lying piece of furniture made from thesuitcase are missing so that it is no problem for a thief to carry offunnoticed the folded bed which has been reconverted into a normalsuitcase, plus any other contents of the suitcase.

It is the object of the invention to develop a convertible suitcase tobe transformed into a seating or lying piece of furniture of the kindspecified initially such that it is useful as a lockable container forstoring things, even with the head portion and also the foot portion, ifany, in a position for use and that it cannot be reconverted by anunauthorized person into a suitcase which looks normal and could belifted inconspicuously.

This object is met, in accordance with the invention, in that the twosuitcase shells are adapted to be folded together and locked even if thehead and/or foot portion is unfolded, with the suitcase closed, theoutside surface of one suitcase shell remote from the other suitcaseshell presents a seating or lying surface, and the unfolded head and/orfoot portion is prevented from being swung back all the way to the lyingsurface by an abutment surface formed at one of the suitcase shells.

When the head portion and the foot portion, if any, are in position foruse, the authorized user of a suitcase according to the invention mayavail himself of the suitcase for storing any basic commodities whichare likely to be stolen, and he may lock the same if he intends to leaveit unattended for some time, for instance, at a beach to go swimming.The interlocked suitcase shells of the closed suitcase retain the headand foot portions in their unfolded position for use in such manner thatthey may be swung into a different position for use, at best, but notinto the suitcase, not even back against the outer surface of thesuitcase which is predetermined as seating or lying surface. This meansthat the two interlocked suitcase shells together with the unfolded headportion and foot portion, if any, constitute such a bulky overallstructure that it cannot be lifted inconspicuously, nor can it be storedin the trunk of a customary passenger car. When the head and footportions are unfolded and together with the outside surface of the onesuitcase shell form a lying surface of the usual dimensions of a campbed, it should hardly be possible also to get it into the passengercompartment of a usual car. The suitcase according to the invention andits contents thus are highly protected against theft.

In accordance with a preferred further development of the suitcaseaccording to the invention the pivotable connection of the head and/orfoot portion to one of the suitcase shells is by double hinges. Thispermits rather big head and foot portions to be received in a suitcasehaving a given inside space and, conversely, it means that a lying pieceof furniture of the usual length of, for example, 200 cm, can be madeout of a rather small suitcase having a maximum outer dimension of about68 cm.

An embodiment of the invention will be described further below, withreference to diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a closed suitcase according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the suitcase, shown partly as longitudinalsection II--II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an oblique view, corresponding to FIG. 1, of the suitcase inunfolded condition while being converted into a lying piece offurniture;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the suitcase in a first position for use asa lying piece of furniture;

FIG. 5 is an oblique view of the same position for use;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of a second position for use;

FIG. 7 is the part section VII--VII of FIG. 5; and

FIGS. 8 to 13 are views of another embodiment of a suitcase according tothe invention.

The suitcase 10 shown looks like a commercially available piece oftravelling luggage when it is closed, as shown in FIG. 1, rather thanturned into a piece of furniture to lie on. It comprises a lowersuitcase shell 12 and an upper suitcase shell 14 which is flatter andlike a lid. They are made in conventional manner in one piece each of amaterial resistant to fracture, such as glass fiber reinforced plastics.At one long side, they are connected together by hinges (not shown). Theclosed suitcase 10 according to FIG. 1 contains a head portion 16 and afoot portion 18, as may be seen in FIG. 2. They both are of wedge shapeand likewise may be made of glass fiber reinforced plastic material.

The top side of the upper suitcase shell 14 constitutes a seating orlying surface 20 which may be extended by the head portion 16 and/or thefoot portion 18. To this end the head portion 16 is connected to anarrow side of the lower suitcase shell 12 by one elongated double jointhinge 22 or a plurality of such hinges which are of correspondingshorter length, as may be taken particularly from FIG. 7. Similar hinges24 connect the foot portion 18 to the opposed narrow side of the lowersuitcase shell 12.

Once the head portion 16 is swung out from inside the suitcase 10, asshown in FIG. 3, and the suitcase shells 12 and 14 have been folded ontop of each other again, the head portion 16 may be swung back by nomore than an angle of about 80° from the horizontal position for useillustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 and 7. This angle is limited by the factthat an inclined abutment surface 26 for the head portion 16 is formedat the narrow side of the upper suitcase shell 14. A similar abutmentsurface 28 for the foot portion 18 is provided at the opposite narrowside of the upper suitcase shell 14. However, in the embodiment shown,it is designed such that it practically prevents any swinging back worthmentioning of the foot portion 18.

As usual, any unintentional unfolding of the suitcase 10 may beprevented by closing a lock 30 which is integral with a carrying handleof the suitcase 10 in the embodiment shown. If the lock is closed whenthe suitcase 10 is converted into a lying piece of furniture, as shownin FIGS. 4 to 7, no unauthorized person may reconvert it into the normallooking suitcase 10 of FIG. 1.

The two narrow sides of the lower suitcase shell 12 each include asupport face 32 and 34, respectively, for the fully unfolded head andfoot portions 16 and 18 in order to keep the hinges 22 and 24substantially free of loads caused by the user's weight.

As shown in FIG. 7, each of the hinges 22 and 24 has three legs 36, 38,and 40 of which the first leg 36 is riveted to the associated narrowsidewall of the lower suitcase shell 12, the second leg 38 is pivotablyconnected to the first leg 36 by a first hinge pin 42 and to the thirdleg 40 by a second hinge pin 44, but not fastened anywhere else, and thethird leg 40 is riveted to the associated head portion 16 or footportion 18. The two hinge pins 42 and 44 of each hinge 22 and 24 areparallel to the upper edge of the corresponding sidewall of the lowersuitcase shell 12. The first hinge pin 42 lies somewhat above half theheight of the respective sidewall, while the second hinge pin 44 lies atthe upper edge of the respective sidewall when the associated headportion 16 or foot portion 18 is in position for use.

At least one detent plate 46 of circular sector shape is supported onthe second hinge pin 44 or an axis aligned with the same in order thatthe head portion 16 may be retained in various positions for use withinits pivoting range which is defined by the abutment surface 26 in upwarddirection and by the support face 32 in downward direction when thesuitcase shells 12 and 14 are folded together. The detent plate may bepivoted completely into the head portion 16 when the latter is to adoptits lowermost position for use shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and 7.

However, if the head portion 16 is swung into a higher position for use,the or each corresponding detent plate 46 is pivoted partly out of thehead portion 16 by its own weight or by minor spring pressure, as shownin FIG. 6. Instead of directly supporting head portion 16 as before,therefore, it now takes care of its indirect support on support face 32.The power transmission this requires between the head portion 16 and thedetent plate 46 is generated by a pawl 48 which becomes locked, underits own weight or by minor spring pressure, in a sawtooth-like serrationformed at the outer circumference of the detent plate 46.

Various embodiments of such click-stop devices which may be releasabledirectly by hand or indirectly by upward swinging movement of the headportion 16 are known in connection with folding beds and, therefore, notshown here.

FIGS. 8 to 13 illustrate another embodiment of a suitcase according tothe invention substantially corresponding to the one presented in FIGS.1 to 7. However, in the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 13the suitcase 10, the head portion 16, and the foot portion 18 are madeof aluminum rods or tubes across which a highly stable plastic materialis stretched which is resistant especially against knife cuts. Such asuitcase can be manufactured at low cost. Apart from the specific designcomprising a tubular aluminum frame and a tear-resistant covering, theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 13 corresponds to the embodimentdescribed above so that reference may be had to the description thereof.

As shown in FIG. 8, the suitcase 10 is made up of aluminum tubes50,52,54. Light plates of aluminum 56,56',56",56'", and 56"" arefastened between the tubes 52 and 54 of suitcase shell 12.

FIG. 9 shows the suitcase with an unfolded foot portion 18 and anunfolded head portion 16. The foot portion 18 includes a pivotablyconnected support 18'. The head portion 16 is provided accordingly witha pivotably connected support 16'. As follows from FIG. 9, theinclination of the head portion 16 may be varied by a per se knownsupport 16" which engages in different steps 17 so that the angle ofinclination is selectively variable.

FIG. 10 shows the suitcase in folded and locked condition.

FIGS. 11 to 13 illustrate the covering of the suitcase according toFIGS. 8 to 10 with a stable, tear-resistant cloth, for instance glassfiber reinforced plastic material. The covering likewise may bereinforced by thin metal filaments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A convertible suitcase (10) to be transformedinto a seating or lying piece of furniture, comprising two hingedlyconnected suitcase shells (12, 14) which can be locked in foldedcondition and at least one head or foot portion (16,18) housed in thesuitcase (10) and pivotably connected to one of the suitcase shells(12,14) so that it can be unfolded when the suitcase (10) is open,characterized in that- the two suitcase shells (12,14) are adapted to befolded together and locked even if the head and/or foot portion (16,18)is unfolded, with the suitcase (10) closed, the outside surface of onesuitcase shell (14) remote from the other suitcase shell (12) presents aseating or lying surface (20), and - the unfolded head and/or footportion (16,18) is prevented from being swung back all the way to thelying surface (20) by an abutment surface (26,28) formed at one of thesuitcase shells (12,14).
 2. The suitcase as claimed in claim 1,characterized in that the pivotable connection of the head and/or footportion (16,18) to one of the suitcase shells (12,14) is by doublehinges.